


to noise making (sing)

by whiteknuckleride



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dancing and Singing, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23301376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteknuckleride/pseuds/whiteknuckleride
Summary: Fire Emblem Three Houses: bards? Singing in Almyra is serious business.The Almyrans may be helpful in a fight, fighting leads to parties, which leads to music, which leads to a very annoyed Felix. But the music isn't just for enjoyment as they come to learn.This story takes place technically on the Golden Deer Route, but if Claude could have convinced Dimitri to join them post-time skip, aligning the Blue Lions and the Golden Deer (plus a few of my Black Eagle favs).
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Original Female Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. hit the road, jack

**Author's Note:**

> Felix is kept awake at night from the constant partying from the Alymrans, and is surprised to find some friends that don't seem to mind.

As if training today, leading the sword class so the professor could finally get some sleep wasn't exhausting enough. As if the extra reason run throughs he did with Lysithea and Annette weren't enough. All Felix wanted was to fall asleep, desperately and the noise from the green was pounding through the walls.

He shook himself, rolling over again in the hope it would magically make a difference. He had followed back to Garreg Mach after the fight at Gronder Hill, after Claude managed to convince the boar not to kill everyone in sight. Convince may have been the wrong word, contained was more apt with how Claude, Petra, and Hilda had each taken hits and aimed to hurt, not kill in return. Hilda was the most vocal about it on the walk back, complaining about how hard she had been hit, as if she wasn't wearing more armor as a fortress knight than three people combined. Sylvain, Ingrid, Ashe, hell, all of them had followed, not sure if they were heading into a trap. He doubted they would have gone without the Professor leading, but they were tired of war. Now, he was just plain tired of whatever the Almyrans were chanting or yelling now.

The music still reached his room, and he had decided enough was enough. Sure, the extra help was good in a fight, but they needed to just shut up. It was past midnight and tomorrow was going to be another grueling day.

Felix got out of bed, throwing on his coat and boots. Leaving the second floor, he could hear the music even louder, and it really was different to what he was used to hearing. There were more voices, less instruments, and it almost sounded like the church's singing. Well, rowdy church singing.

Walking to the green in front of the officers academy, he saw the group dancing and singing in the grass. There were ten couples, or maybe more, dancing in the center with a group on the side singing and playing guitars. He saw the twirling skirts, and wasn't overly surprised to see a flash of familiar red hair in the crowd. Sylvain was swinging his partner around, too fast and wild to be any dance they learned in the court. Still, it seemed to be the rhythm of the group and Felix wondered where he learned the steps. He spotted Dorothea, and Leonie too in the mix, laughing and dancing.

He'd be tired tomorrow, but he'd definitely outpace those dancing. He could see them sweating from where he stood.

The singers stopped for a second, and Felix watched everyone swap partners, almost randomly. Another girl was pulled to the side, and from the cheers she was going to sing with the group.

Even though he had only heard her through the walls of his room, he recognized her as soon as she started. The voice was the easiest to hear, and clearest through the walls. She was pretty, in a plain kind of way, but once she opened her mouth, he was mesmerized.

She had a white skirt on that twirled whenever she hopped or turned, drawing in his eye. Her long brown hair flowed behind her like a cape. He couldn’t see her face, but the way she sounded, she had to be smiling. She clapped along with the band and just looked like she was truly enjoying herself. 

_I got a good foundation, on a bad reputation_

_Got a floor I've been pacing, And a broken heart breaking_

_In a game of fools I'd be hard to beat_

_Yeah, if losing's a game I'm on a winning streak..._

The dancers were hopping, spinning, and he could have sworn that Dorothea ended up with Sylvain for a brief second before being swung again. They normally were at each other's throats since they couldn't flirt their issues away, but a smile passed over Sylvain. Felix found himself fighting the urge to bob his head, and scowled. He was supposed to be sleeping, and instead was standing in the shadow of the training grounds listening to the ruckus.

"Didn't expect you to be a late night reveler. Or did you come out to yell at us? "

Felix snapped out of whatever trance he was in, hands already racing to grab the source of the whisper behind him. Claude laughed, side stepping the expected attack.

"Couldn't stay away?" he smirked. His hair was messy and he seemed slightly out of breath, and Felix wondered how he had gotten behind him from the green.

"They're too loud. We need to train for the war, and they're acting like it's the summer festival," Felix growled.

"Yeah, the Almyrans like to throw a party. They get their work done, so I don't see the harm," Claude smiled, watching the singer take a bow at the end of the song. "They're wrapping it up anyways."

_Hit the road Jack and don't you come back, No more, no more, no more, no more…_

Claude was right, and while some were still dancing, the group was mostly talking on the side, starting to disperse into the night. Sylvain was chatting to Dorethea, and they both seemed to be genuinely happy, a rare sight.

"If you don't want to be seen, you might want to head out." Claude left and started walking back towards the dorms, and Felix followed.

The last song still echoed in his ears, and he wondered if he had seen the singer before.

He also wondered why Sylvain looked so damn happy.

\------

Sweat dripping down his face, Felix was finding Sylvain impossible to hit on the training ground. While they both had been up late the night before, Sylvain had left the greens drenched in sweat, and probably stayed up late in the bathhouse, and Felix had gone straight to his room. Perhaps looking to be mean, Felix was hoping to beat a bit on Sylvain, taking advantage of the late night but nothing landed.

At another stalemate, Felix threw down his sword.

"How are you avoiding all my hits?! You were up half the night," Felix groaned.

"I'm always up half the night," Sylvain said with a wink. He laughed off the incoming punch as well.

"You know what I mean. I saw you dancing with the Almyrans. You normally can hardly handle three rounds, and today you have endless energy?"

Sylvain smirked at him, and he knew he'd been caught. "Someone sounds a little jealous. Need me to teach you my moves?" He asked with a suggestive hip thrust.

"No, I don't need to waste my time partying while there's a war going on. Some of us need sleep."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem then," came from behind the pair, and Felix spun to yell at the new voice.

His words died in his throat as he saw the singer from the night before. The same brown hair, worn tightly braided instead of free flowing, and loose pants and a white tunic. She was shorter than him, but not by much, and muscular. He could tell her nose had been broken and reset, but combined with the grin on her face she looked cheerful, not menacing.

"I'm Noelle," she said expectantly.

"Felix," he choked out. "Sylvain, let's get breakfast."

Sylvain, noticing the change in expression, chose to ignore him. "Noelle, what are you training today? You normally use axes, right?"

Noelle's face, which had fallen slightly at the obvious rebuff by Felix, went back to grinning at Sylvain. "Grappling, actually. Needed a change of pace."

Felix snorted, trying to imagine the small woman in front of him facing Raphael, the only other wrestler they had.

Noelle turned to him, a little sharply and Felix unconsciously stiffened. "Never seen a girl fight before?"

"Felix actually used to wrestle a bit. Do you already have a partner?" Sylvain pounced, sensing the tension and looking to make Felix uncomfortable, again.

"I'm just running through drills today. Maybe another time," Noelle answered cooly before Felix could protest.

"You should go eat if you're hungry. I'd hate to keep you from the kitchen and your bed." She pointedly added, having not forgotten Felix's complaining, and turned to the dummies.

Sylvain and Felix walked out of the grounds and towards the dining hall, and Sylvain was shaking with contained laughter.

They grabbed their breakfast and sat with Ingrid and Ashe in their usual spots. Sylvain was still ribbing him about hiding from the dance and Ingrid jumped on him.

"So many people have died fighting and they just want to party all night? It's irresponsible and going to put us in danger," she launched into them. The lecturing was familiar, even if the subject changed.

"I think it's kind of nice," Ashe cut in. "They don't dance every night, just the ones when it's a free day in the morning. And the songs sound pretty."

"I hear them every night," Felix responded. "They definitely aren't keeping it to free nights."

"Oh, I guess they do sing every night. They're usually quieter though," Ashe seemed more hesitant. He was used to Felix being in a bad mood, but that didn't mean he liked it.

"But the dancing is the best part," Sylvain said, grinning. "They always dance with everyone, and there's no shortage of pretty girls. Or pretty boys." He threw the last line at Ingrid and Ashe, and both didn't meet his eye.

"Yeah, the boys really can dance!" Leonie came from behind Ingrid, squeezing herself in. "They're so light on their feet, and the way they'll twirl you around is like dodging an attack, only way better."

"Plus, I just don't feel as tired when I listen, especially when it's Noelle singing," Sylvain added, effectively ending that train of the conversation.

The rest of the group diverged, with Ashe explaining another Koog story he found, but Felix wasn't listening. He didn't see Ashe last night. But it sounded like he had been to the Almyran dances. That made five people at least, and if Claude had been, Hilda likely had too. They had to be more tired than everyone else, but Sylvain was actually fighting better than normal. Felix puzzled it over, but finished his meal and got up without saying goodbye. He'd see them all in the war room anyways.

He looped back to his room to change before the meeting started. He'd be working on reason again, and Lysithea was not nice in the best of cases, much less when he came in smelling like sweaty leather. He had to stop thinking about Sylvain’s new skill, and the singer, if he was going to make it through the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been super inspired by a few albums/artists, and I can't stop thinking about how the music fits in with FE3H, and what would change if there were bards (similar to the warlocks)! The songs referenced in this chapter:
> 
> 1\. Winning Streak by Ashley Monroe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-14Xzg8rlc  
> 2\. Hit the Road Jack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Tiz6INF7I
> 
> P.S. The dancing I'm imagining looks a lot like swing dancing/lindy hop (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmvKrPUo97E)... I'm just struggling to describe it well lol.


	2. the longest morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noelle can fight, just not with her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Physical and verbal fights are so not my favorite things to write, so apologies in advance.

The next few days blurred together for Felix. Train, avoid Noelle, eat, war room, eat, avoid Noelle, ignore the voices in the yard, sleep. He alternated nights watching Dimitri with Dedue and Sylvain, but the music seemed to permeate all of Garreg Mach, regardless where he was. Every morning, Noelle had shown up to the training grounds at the same time as Sylvain and Felix, but besides a nod or wave, she kept to herself. This morning was different, as she wasn't alone, but chatting and stretching with Raphael when they walked in. Her clothes were different too, tighter against her body and her hair was braided up and out of the way.

"Looks like we'll finally see her in action," Sylvain said, grinning.

"She's gonna get hurt, fighting someone who’s that much bigger than her," Felix retorted, and sizing them up. Noelle may have been strong, but Raphael looked almost double her size, and his reach was massive.

Felix picked up an iron sword, mostly for show. He doubted they'd start training until the match was over, but he also figured it'd be quick.

He watched them bow in the center after strapping on the training gauntlets, and Noelle immediately started hopping softly in place.

Raphael started moving forward, and Noelle kept moving out of his reach, step for step. She wasn't getting cornered however, turning subtly so they were moving parallel to the wall, not towards it. It really did look like she was dancing, with how light on her feet she was, and how quickly she moved from place to place.

Raphael, always impatient, went for the hit on her right side. She saw it coming, and almost twice his speed dodged and returned two shots. He grunted in response, trying again to catch her but she had slipped back outside his reach.

"She dances like that too." Sylvain said, startling Felix, who had forgotten he was there. "She's hard to keep still and does two motions for everyone you try."

Felix nodded, turning to say something but heard a crash behind him. Rapheal was laying down, with Noelle continuing to side step back and forth.

"You shouldn't rush like that. It makes it too easy when you're top heavy to help you down," she offered to Rapheal, helping him back up.

"How'd you even get behind me that fast?" He grumbled in return.

She just grinned and got set up again. This time, Raphael was much faster in going for the hit, and she took the punch, hard. Instead of going down though, she kicked a leg up and over his arm, shimmying herself on top of the still outstretched arm. She double tapped the back of his neck with her foot and the point was up, again. Sylvain cheered, and from her weird angle, Noelle tried to wave.

Rapheal helped her get lower, and once her feet were on the ground she grabbed her side where he had hit her.

"Damn, you feel like getting hit by a horse," she said wheezing. "If I hadn't gotten up on the first try I would've been done for."

"You're not hurt, are you?" Raphael sheepishly asked.

"No, I just need a second."

Sylvain walked up, Felix a step or two behind. "How'd you learn that one?" He asked, obviously impressed.

"It's pretty easy when you've got someone as strong as Raphael. You just need their arm to be still for a second and the rest is pretty simple," she grinned, still rubbing her side.

Felix butted in, "Raphael, why'd you hold back?"

"What do you mean? It's practice, I used my practice strength." Rapheal seemed obviously confused at the question. "I always hit like that..."

"He's just surprised I could take it," Noelle said, laying a hand on Raphael's arm. "He seems to forget that we're pretty tough. That sword for show or are you actually gonna practice?"

Felix scowled again at Noelle, but Sylvain jumped in before he could say anything. "Hard to pull our eyes from such a lovely lady," he grinned.

"Well, this lovely lady isn't performing until tonight, so I suggest you actually practice like you were planning to," she said, dismissing them.

Felix headed back to the dummies, trying his hardest not to stomp. Raphael had to be taking it easy on Noelle, he'd been decked plenty of times and knew the man didn't really understand practice strength. He spent the better part of an hour doing drills out of muscle memory, trying not to hear the grunts or conversation from the wrestling grounds. He wiped the sweat off his face and signaled he was leaving to Sylvain, only to turn and stop in his tracks.

Noelle was stuck under Raphael, thrashing and kicking. Her movements no longer looked practiced, but frantic. The man had her left arm pinned and was straddling her, and judging from the dust settling on both of them they were stuck in a stalemate. Raphael managed to catch her other hand, and was bringing it down when Noelle finally roared up and headbutted Raphael, a last ditch effort.

Raphael blinked, confused for a second but that was all it took. She feigned to one side, got his movement going and dashed out from under him when his hips were turned. Her eyes wide and panicked, she took a couple of breaths to calm down, then groaned.

"I'm calling it here, I yield," she said with a shaky laugh, rolling back onto her back.

Raphael looked over at her, rubbing his forehead where she had surprised him. "You got out though, I didn't win the point."

"I will give you the point if we're done. I'm worn out." She was rubbing her arm now, probably trying to get the blood flow back into it.

Raphael still looked puzzled, but then brightened and said, "If we're done training, we gotta eat. Can't lose our strength now!"

Sylvain reacted on cue, "We're heading to the dining hall too. You should join us."

"I don't really know if that's a good idea," Noelle said, eyes closed. "Not too many of us eat with you guys."

She had a point, Felix realized. Other than Cyril, he wasn't sure if he had ever seen an Almyran in the dining hall.

"Well, you'll be eating with us, so it's not like you're alone," Raphael added. "Plus, we just sparred so that means we're friends, right?"

"See, Noelle, you want to eat with your friends, right?" Sylvain was hamming it up at this point, and threw in a pleading look for good measure.

"Fine, fine, fine," she groaned, one eye open at this point. "Just let me get up."

Noelle got up, and the fight had gotten to her. Her hair was coming out of the braids, and her shirt and pants both were askew. A bruise looked like it was starting high on her cheek, and she was shiny with sweat. She caught him staring, and just smiled back at him.

"Not my best look," she quipped, starting to pull her hair out of the braids completely.

Sylvain laughed, and started chattering away about one of the girls he was seeing and whether she’d dance with him next week. And it was good news for Felix, because he had been thinking about how attractive Noelle looked. She looked less like she came out of a fight and more like she had come out of bed, mussed and happy. He swallowed thickly and followed them to the dining hall, trying to shake the image out of his head.

They reached the dining hall, Noelle laughing at some story Sylvain started and Raphael making a beeline for the food. Felix followed Raphael to the line, the other two a few steps behind. He kept picturing how wild her hair looked, kinked from the braids. It was so different from most hair at the monastery, stick-straight and tied down. He liked it, maybe too much. 

“You’re singing tonight? Anything special planned?” Sylvian was asking, although Felix was trying not to listen. 

“Not tonight, but there’s a love duet coming up soon! I’m so excited, it’s been a while since we had a couple get together!”

Sylvain kept questioning her, but Felix had picked up a plate and practically ran to follow Raphael. Noelle still sounded a little out of breath, and it was not helping with his quest to stop imagining her in his bed. 

A few minutes, Noelle and Sylvain joined them, with Ingrid and Dorothea in tow. Ingrid had launched into Sylvain about something, and Felix relaxed a little more into normalcy.Dorothea sat next to Noelle, gabbing about some song she sang last night. Noelle wasn’t saying much, but was listening intently, picking at her food. She seemed to be trying to make herself smaller, and kept glancing around the room. 

“The cat caught the songbird!” Claude jumped in, taking the spot Raphael left to get seconds. 

Noelle grinned at him, but didn’t relax. Felix noticed she seemed to be waiting for something to happen, and then Ingrid opened her mouth. 

“Oh, you’re the one keeping everyone up at night?” She accused, and Noelle seemed to shrink even smaller. 

“Ingrid..” Sylvain tried to cut in. 

“No seriously, is every night a party? What’s the occasion? Cause the rest of us are trying to win a war, not scream at the top of our lungs. C’mon Felix, it keeps you up too.” 

Noelle didn’t say anything, just fidgeted and stared at her plate. The fighter that managed to knock Raphael down was gone,and an uncomfortable silence settled over them. 

“Unfortunately Ingrid, I don’t see you in charge. Teach didn’t say anything, and just because you don’t have fun doesn’t mean other people can’t, ” Claude finally said once it was clear Noelle had nothing to say. 

“Ugh, don’t act all high and mighty since you convinced the professor. I doubt she even sleeps, so it can’t bother her,” Ingrid shot back. 

Noelle had picked up her plate and had stepped away from the table as Claude and Ingrid got progressively louder. Sylvain called after her and she gave a wave without turning around, leaving the hall after dumping her plate in the bin. 

“Goddess on high, Ingrid, you didn’t even ask her name,” Dorothea finally cut in. “She’s a really nice person and you’re being an ass. Noelle didn’t even finish her breakfast. ” She had her plate in hand, trying to slide out from the table but Claude waved her back. 

“What was that really about Ingrid? You don’t like someone walking in Felix and Sylvain, sitting in your spot?” 

Felix turned to look at Claude. The idea that the wild haired Almyran was an Ingrid replacement was comical, they were so different, but Claude looked at Ingrid intensely. “Cause she sat here waiting for a fight, and I don’t think that was the one she expected.” 

“Why was she on edge then?” Sylvain said. Apparently Felix wasn’t the only one to notice the tension. 

Claude sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Someone’s been going around threatening to ‘get rid of’ them,” he explained, adding air quotes. “Seems there are people that are still hung up on the border they were born, despite the help they’ve been giving. What do you think everyone does while we’re in the war room? It’s the Almyrans handling most of the bandits and monsters. They’re the reason we can breathe here, but some people would rather get attacked then consider there are good people from Almyra and bad people from Fodlan.” 

His eyes glinted dangerously, and Felix groaned internally, Claude was plotting. 

“Anyways, I’ve gotta catch Teach. See you later, everyone.” Claude quickly left, almost skipping away, a complete 180 from what he was earlier. 

Sylvain turned to Ingrid and said grimly, “He’s got a scheme, and I doubt it’s going to be good.”

Felix and Dorothea nodded, not looking forward to whatever Claude had cooked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, it may not be pretty but it moves us closer to the best part, Claude scheming :)


	3. all good people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude's scheme leads to some interesting results.

“You’re kidding me. Bandits? What are we, like back in school?” Hilda groaned at the announcement of an impromptu trip to the mountains. 

Felix might not agree with Hilda’s whining, but he had to agree that a battle in the middle of the week felt like being back as students, sent out to do the Church’s dirty work. 

“We’re trying to save people. That extends to normal people, not just those under the Emperor’s rule,” Byleth intoned without any inflection, used to the complaining. “We’ll be going out with some of the Almyran force, so I expect it’ll be quick, regardless. We leave at dawn tomorrow.” 

Ingrid turned around, staring Claude down. He looked the picture of innocence, playing with something in his hands, but the faint smile gave him away. The group was dismissed shortly after, and Ingrid trailed after Claude, trying to get his attention. Felix instead went to train, mulling over the choice to send them out in the field.

Felix noticed that night he could hardly hear the music. It was still there, just much quieter and more subdued. He wondered if anyone he knew was there.

~~~~

They gathered in the entrance hall before the sun rose, and Felix noticed the group was small. Sylvain and Ingrid were chatting on one side, and Lystithea was debating something with Mercedes on the side, but Claude was chatting with some of the Almyrans in the back. Hilda showed up a minute or two later, looking like she rolled out of bed and was debating getting back into it. Since Dimitri wasn’t there, he assumed Dedue was left with him. He deliberately did not look for Noelle in the gathering.

That plan didn't last very long. He saw the dark haired group congregate in a circle, and a hum arose from them, drawing their attention. 

"They like to do a little wake up call before battle," Claude whispered, before Noelle started, startling Felix. His grin made it clear he remembered the last time he got the jump on him, and that he was trying to make it a habit. 

Noelle leveled her gaze at Ingrid and started. Her voice was deeper than it sounded that night on the grass, raspy and powerful. It wasn't as honeyed or modulated as the singers in Enbarr, or even the choirs in the cathedral, but rather she sounded like a woman possessed. 

_ I watched from my window as they gunned down unarmed men _

_ Tried to say it's not my problem, couldn't happen to my friends _

_ But the truth is they're my brothers, and they're my countrymen _

_ And if we lose our better angels, we won't get them back again _

Soon the rest of the group joined in, and while Felix didn't normally care for the singing, he got chills across his body. It felt like his crest was trying to come out, but he wasn't even touching his weapon. Through the group, he could still hear Noelle, howling as much as singing. 

_ Come on and raise your voice above the raging seas _

_ We can't hold our breath forever when our brothers cannot breathe _

It echoed in the hall somberly, and with a quick nod they packed up to head out. As suddenly as the feeling presented, it disappeared, leaving him feeling like he had been bucked off a horse. 

The ride out was mostly quiet, Claude and Hilda chatting in the back. Noelle was walking along the wyverns, and Felix walking behind finally had a chance to look at her without her looking back.

He could see the two long dark brown braids hanging down her back, almost reaching her waistband. The warrior uniform hung off of her and she didn't have the cape usually added, showing muscular, thick legs and the same definition on her arms. A single scar could be seen across her right shoulder, silvery white in comparison to her dark skin.

"Checking her out, you dirty dog?" Sylvain snuck up behind him.

Felix just scowled, a near permanent feature on his face.

"Did you feel the song earlier? Kinda freaky how they all can sing. Where do they even find these people?" Sylvain continued. "I bet Ingrid got red once she realized what the song was about. She normally doesn’t get called out for her lectures."

"They want us to believe they see us as brothers? Fodlan's Locket exists for a reason," Felix muttered.

"Yeah, and it's a million years old," he scoffed. "Seems some things are open to changing."

They continued in their usual silence, reaching the base of the mountains quickly. Byleth started barking orders for original placement, and everyone moved position. The only time they showed emotion was on the battlefield. There was a fine mist along the ground, a by-product of the still rising sun.

"Ingrid, carry Noelle with you to the clearing beyond the trees. You'll drop her to soften up any ground units until we get there, and continue with the wyvern riders to the west," Byleth ordered, and Ingrid blanched.

Noelle started walking over, and saddled herself on the Pegasus's back, behind Ingrid. Felix saw Ingrid's grimace, but was sent to the front line.

The battle began, and much of the first wave was just moving cautiously through the fog, setting off the occasional torch. Felix heard a cry in the distance, and glanced up to see a flash of brown and silver grabbing an enemy wyvern in the sky.

He heard a rustle to his left and pulled his eyes to the thief now charging at him. The battle continued around him and he focused in, tucking away what he had seen in favor of the bandits around him.

The battle was quick, just as predicted. It was quicker than normal to fall into the rhythm, hitting harder and dodging more, and judging from the lack of injuries he wasn't the only one that found this battle easier than normal. It couldn't have been more than an hour when the bandits were captured or dead, and people were starting to leave. Byleth was, as usual, looking through the enemy's remains and collecting money and weapons, and the rest of them were content to stretch and wait for their return.

He noticed yelling, and strolled over to see what was happening.

Nardel - Claude's retainer - was screaming about how risky something was, how she was disobeying orders, how she should have been killed.

"There were archers in a herd of fliers! I took care of it!" Noelle yelled back.

"Dismounting in air was your big idea? You're lucky you didn't break your neck! The wyvern should've thrown you thirty feet!"

" Those animals could hardly stay in the air. I took out three archers, and we didn’t lose anyone for once!"

Noelle huffed and threw her axe into the ground. She bowed down onto the ground, hands outstretched above her head. There was a pause, and Felix noticed most of the Almyrans were watching the pair. Noelle was tense, staring directly into the dirt. 

Claude skidded up beside Nardel, talking low and fast. Nardel still looked like he'd throttle Noelle but allowed himself to be led away.

Felix turned and saw Ingrid and Sylvain behind him. Sylvain looked entertained, but Ingrid looked shaken up.

"What was that about?" Felix closed the gap between them and whispered.

Ingrid bit her lip, and started quietly, "there was a group of wyvern riders that came up when we were about halfway across the trail. They were using bows, and no one in the group was going to be able to reach them with javelins in time..."

She shuddered and continued. "Noelle kept asking me to get higher in the air, and she spun herself completely around. Next thing I knew, she was gone from the back and halfway towards the closest one. She swung herself around by the reins and pushed the rider off. She got rid of the other two with her axe."

Sylvain and Felix shared a look, not really believing what they heard. How the hell would someone make that jump, much less manage to break a wyvern in air?

“She was not wrong,” Ingrid said, biting her lip. “We would have lost someone if they caught us. Lucina is fast, but not with two riders… It would have been me.”

Felix turned to look back at Noelle, still curled over on the ground. There were bruises littered across her thighs, and more blood splattered across her arms. The braids were no longer tidy, and sweat covered her body.

Nardel was walking back, no sign of Claude. “You disobeyed a direct order, and committed to a fool’s task. Had your jump not made it, or the archers carried short distance weapons, you would have died, and your efforts a distraction to those you were trying to protect.”

Noelle’s hands became fists, quickly, before relaxing again. 

“However, we lost no one. Take your axe.”

Noelle gasped, the tension turned instead to shaking as she rose to kneel. The crowd visibly relaxed around her, seeming to release their breath. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, eyes still trained on the ground. Several people ran forward to her, helping her up.

The trio turned to each other, not sure what they had witnessed.  _ Claude _ , they all thought, and like three parts of the same creature, stalked to find him. 

Finding Claude had been the easy part. However, gaining his attention was more difficult, since it seemed every person in the party wanted to speak to him first. It was Hilda that noticed them stalking him, and trotted over. 

“You guys need to stop pining after Mr. Leader Man so much. The power will absolutely go to his head,” she delivered with her usual hair flip. Some things never change. 

Sylvain smiled at her, all softness and flirting. “What can I say, a man with power just does that to me.”

“Sylvain!” Ingrid’s punch on the arm, while not unexpected, caused his smile to drop for a second. “We’re here because there was something between Nardel and Noelle earlier. Claude looked involved.”

Hilda pouted for a second. “You didn’t hear it from me, because it’s not exactly something Mr. Leader Man wants people to know. But if you saw it happen, it can’t be helped.” She took a deep breath. 

“For the Almyrans, in battle you do what you’re told, no questions asked. To do otherwise implies you think you know better than the commander, and it’s like, the biggest insult. So when you do decide to break the plan, afterwards you offer the commander the chance to punish you. Noelle was laying down her weapon to let Nardel decide if she needed to lose one hand, both hands, or her head.”

The wide eyes of the group caused Hilda to backtrack quickly, “Most commanders don’t actually use it of course! It’s just supposed to scare them into following orders. Please don’t tell Claude what I told you.”

“Are they really that barbaric?” The words flew out of Ingrid’s mouth, unbidden.

“First yelling, now name calling?” Claude joined the group, having finally sent off the last stragglers. “If I remember correctly, she risked that in part for you, Ingrid.” 

He paused, staring at her, before continuing in an unusually serious voice. “It requires a soldier to be sure of their actions before they do anything. If people didn’t follow orders, they can wreak havoc on the field. War is pretty messy, if you haven’t noticed. Besides, it wasn't going to be Nardel’s call - she disobeyed Teach, so she wasn’t in any real harm. ” The attempt to lighten the mood was obviously forced and fell flat. 

“However you feel about it, I’d appreciate a little discretion with this.” With that, he turned, Hilda trailing him trying to apologize. 

“Well, that was unexpected.” Sylvain was the first to speak after the uncomfortable pause. Neither Felix or Ingrid had anything to add, and as Sylvain and Ingrid saddled up, Felix thought back to what he knew about the Almyrans. 

They were loud, noisy, and had harsh penalties for disobeying orders. This alone should have been enough to write them off, but they were also in the middle of a foriegn civil war, fighting on the word of one general and disliked by the people they were helping. They were fierce on the battlefield, and despite what he saw today, they were trying to help each other. 

They were back at the monastery by mid afternoon, and everyone scattered to their rooms or elsewhere. 

~~~~

At dinner that night, most of the people that hadn’t gone to battle were buzzing about the party tonight. A successful raid always led to dancing, and despite trying to block out the chatter, Felix couldn’t help but hear that Dorothea was explaining that tonight was a love duet. 

“So first they sing together for the group, and then they lead the group in a dance, and then they’re considered bonded. Kind of like if vows were music?”

“They don’t get married in a church? What makes it official?” Lorenz, for all his posturing, actually looks curious. 

“Well I think it’s only a thing when they’re out on a campaign? Like they’ll get married when they return, but if two people just can’t wait to announce…”  _ Or don’t know if they’ll both make it back,  _ Felix filled in mentally. 

“A public declaration, two voices intertwined surrounded by the people they protect on the battlefield… it sounds like something out of an old folk tale.” Ignatz was wistful, probably imaging what it might look like rendered on a canvas. 

“But what kind of dancing are we talking about?” Sylvain teased into Dorothea, and to her own credit she just grins back. 

“Well, of course they’d want a good send off at the end of the night..” 

“Where is the ringmaster anyways? I haven’t seen her since we got back…” 

“I ran into her at the laundry,” Leonie butted in, bringing a plate of pheasant to the table. “She seemed to have a ton of clothes, probably drew the short straw.” 

“I hope they’re eating enough.” Ashe spoke up for the first time. “I haven’t seen any in the dining hall since Noelle came one morning.” 

“Oh, I’m sure they eat earlier than us.” Mercedes chimed in. “They just like to hang out together, like we do!”

The conversation drifted apart, with some of them talking about what to wear tonight, and some talking through the battle. Ashe and Dedue seemed to be whispering to each other, Ashe as energetic as Dedue was restrained. Felix had the itch to train, only made worse the longer he sat. As he was getting up, Sylvain caught his eye. Felix recognized that look and tried to get away as fast as he could, but the knight’s long legs gave him an unfair advantage. 

“Fe, you’ll come tonight, right?” 

“Absolutely not, I need to train.”

“We battled this morning! You’ll run yourself ragged. Besides, I know you’ve got a thing for Noelle. It takes a special kind of girl to make you clench your jaw that hard.”

“She’s not taking this seriously - I’m not going to waste my time partying while there's a war going on.” Even Felix could hear how much he sounded like Ingrid, and internally sighed. 

“It’d do you a lot of good… But if you’re not going, the better odds for me. Have fun at the training grounds!” Sylvain trotted off, smiling big at the thought of getting lucky, no doubt. 

Felix ground his teeth. Of course Sylvain would only be thinking of getting in her pants, just like he did with everyone else. And Noelle seemed to like him, so it wasn’t one sided. 

Why the hell did that bother him so much? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If they dodge blows by doing back flips and the horses can pirouette in air, Noelle's allowed to have mad hops. 
> 
> Song referenced: All Good People - Delta Rae (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv4U9LoDkIs)


	4. my whole life long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix, despite his best efforts, is dragged to the dance.

True to form, Felix headed out to the training grounds after changing in his room. The only way he dealt with feelings was to bury them under muscle strain and exhaustion, and then maybe he’d fall asleep before the singing started. 

Heading back to the bathhouse, he spied Noelle and Sylvain talking in front of the dorms. He took advantage of the dusk light and moved into the shadows - he did not want to be drawn into a conversation with them now. 

“So you’re saying there’s no way you can help a guy out?” Sylvain’s teasing plea reached Felix. 

“No luck. I’m not singing much tonight, you’ll have to rely on your own charms to catch a date. I’m sure she could be convinced, if you were on your best behavior,” Noelle’s laughing reply was much louder. They were getting close, and Noelle was dishing it as well as Sylvain. 

“What about you - you looking for a date tonight?” 

“The only thing I look for is a partner with a sense of rhythm - you’d barely qualify.”

Felix glances to see how far they are, and makes a fatal mistake. Sylvain catches the movement and spots Felix’s eyes. His grin stretches fuller, 

“Well, what about some fresh meat on the dance floor? I think I could convince Felix to come out tonight, but I doubt he even danced in our school days.” 

“The grumpy one that’s always on the training grounds? He’s light enough on his feet I guess,” she paused, looking a little deep in thought before continuing, “New rule though - a dance partner that doesn’t look like they’re being punished and can keep time.” 

“He smiles! He smiles everytime he spars with me.” 

“Not convincing enough - I’ve seen how you spar and I’d smile the whole time too.” 

They’re almost past Felix’s hiding spot when Sylvain clenches his heart, fake wounded at Noelle’s jab. “You betray me! But now that I know you’re watching…”

As they walk away laughing, Felix slides out from the wall and heads out to the bathhouse. With luck, he’d be in his room before Sylvain doubled back and be able to lock him out. 

Felix did not have luck. 

_ I am going to kick Sylvain’s ass in training tomorrow. Twice,  _ he thought to himself as Annette tried to teach him the basic steps, with Ashe chirping encouragement. He could very well blow off Sylvain, but with Ashe and Annette teaming up, he couldn’t deny them at the same time. How the hell did they keep puppy dog eyes through a war? 

“It’s going to be so fun! I’ll dance with you to start so you don’t have to worry. I bet Leonie would dance with you too, and maybe Dorothea… they’ll be nice!” 

Felix didn’t respond, he didn’t have the heart to tell Annette he was bolting as soon as they lost track of him. 

Ashe perked up, seeing Hilda heading down to the academy. “It’s time to head over! Felix, you’ll be fine, maybe just don’t do anything fancy yet.” 

Annette and Ashe headed down, each keeping a hand on Felix and dragging him with. He sees Hilda run up to Claude, who’s chatting with Sylvain and Dorothea. There’s a flash of orange, and he sees Leonie trying to teach Raphael something, and he prays to the goddess he at least looks more aware than  _ that _ . 

Nardel is speaking to a pair of Almyrans on the side by the band, and from the way they can’t stop holding hands and nudging each other, it has to be the couple. Noelle is by them, looking tense and she won’t meet Nardel’s eyes when he turns to the band. He’s saying something and she’s nodding, and when he turns and leaves, the tension bleeds from her. 

“Watching again?” Sylvain caught him staring, but as Felix turned to either deny or punch him, the singers started a warm up note and everyone began to pair off. Annette, true to her word, grabbed his hand and led him into the fray. 

He hardly hears the music, but assumes he wasn’t missing much. He heard something about  _ love you your whole life long _ and assumes that the rest of the song was as full of romantic mush. Besides, he was watching his feet and trying desperately to not Annette as she twisted and swayed under him. The song ended just as he was getting the hang of it, and as another one started, Dorothea slipped into Annette’s spot. 

“Wow, Sylvain was right that Annette truly is your weakness. Haven’t seen you actively trying not to scowl in a long time,” Dorothea teases as another love song starts up, and this time Felix could tell it was Noelle and the usual man. 

“He fights dirty when it suits him.” 

Dorothea only laughed, and proceeded to talk through the whole song, pointing out people they knew, or explaining different steps. She pointed out Flayn dancing to the side with Ignatz, and even Felix raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, I don’t know exactly how Claude convinced Seteth - although now that she’s a dancer he thought it would be a good skill? Or I hear that’s how he sold it. Either way, Seteth looks like he’s ready to scream.” 

They kept talking, and Felix began to relax. Dorothea could hold her own on the dance floor, and she was easy to tune out, just like Sylvain. The song came to an end, and Dorothea steered him to the side before commenting, “Noelle’s about to dance with Nardel and I want to see this.” 

True enough, there were plenty of people pairing up, although it was only the Alymrans. Felix hadn’t looked too closely at the group before, but they all seemed closer to his parent’s age, other than Noelle. She was the youngest not by a stretch, and he wondered why she had been chosen to come. 

The Fodlaners seemed to all be heading off to the side, with Claude gathering some of them to watch. Dorothea kept her hand on Felix’s waist and led him over to join the group. 

“The judge will tap them, and then the couple will be out. Last couple standing wins, although it’s customary for the dueted couple to last until the end.” 

“Once it’s a handful of couples, they all get to take turns doing tricks.” Felix startles, almost missing Mariane’s whispered addition, who hadn’t danced judging by her appearance. 

The band started up and everyone turned. The group was pretty big to start, but quickly got whittled down, and the band, only playing instruments started to speed up, until there were only five couples left out there. Noelle and Nardel stayed, and there was finally space to really look at her. 

The plain brown dress had a skirt that opened when it spun, and Felix was reminded of how warriers looked on the battlefield. It was sleeveless, and he could see bruises on her shoulders and forearms. The most out of place though, was how hard she was concentrating on the steps. It looked far different from the last time she danced, open and happy. 

“Nardel’s still pretty mad at Noelle, wonder why they’re dancing together,” Claude idly commented as the pairs lined up. A new song started, fast and loud, and everyone was clapping to the beat. 

The first couple went, the woman spinning and twirling around the green. There were cheers as he dipped her low, and they danced out of the middle as Noelle and Nardel headed to the center. 

Almost immediately, they let go of each other's hands, dancing next to each other with feet and arms flying in tandem. They weren’t looking at each other until Nardel grabbed her waist and spun her in, dipping her low by the back of her neck. Judging by the hoops and hollers, this was good, but Noelle’s expression didn’t change. 

The other couples came and went, and soon it was down to three couples, the duet pair, Noelle and Nardel, and two women that looked like siblings. 

“Last run through, expect something flashy.”

The duet couple went first, and it was clear they weren’t in the same league as the other two but the way they smiled at each other made Felix’s stomach clench. He didn’t know many people that cared that much for each other, much less were so open about it. 

Then Noelle and Nardel stepped out, and with the first kick, Felix could tell how Noelle had scampered up Raphael, had spun through her grappling practices, hell how she had landed on a wyvern in the middle of the air. Nardel spun her around his waist, around his back across his arm before she flipped feet up, only to backflip on her way down. The crowd lost it, and he could hardly see what the last couple was doing, but it didn’t matter. 

Once the judge raised Noelle and Nardel’s hands, she finally smiled, big and bright, bowing to the crowd and her partner, before disappearing in the direction of wine. 

“Holy shit.” Leonie was the first one to break the silence after the group died down. “Did you see how high Nardel threw her?” 

“I wonder if he was using this as a punishment - I’d hate to be thrown around like that.”

“Hilda, you’d just hate to have to do that much of anything,” Claude cut in, avoiding her swat and laughing. “But seriously, she is next level. I wonder if she could dance with an axe.” 

The band started up, and the group paired off and kept dancing. Felix was passed, almost hand to hand from partners, although it had been orchestrated to prevent him from leaving. He noticed Noelle flit between partners as well, and whenever she was singing she had a drink in her hand. 

Of the group, Flayn seemed to be having the most fun, but Seteth never seemed far behind her, carefully eyeing up every dance partner and hand placement. Claude was holding his own, because of course he could dance, and even managed to get Marianne out on the dance floor. Annette insisted on singing along with every song, but since she didn’t know any words, Felix got an original verse every dance with her. 

The night was finally starting to wind down when he danced with Dorothea for a third time, and saw Sylvain and Noelle nearby. No sooner had Last Song been called had Dorothea and Sylvain all but shoved them together and left them. She took his hand readily, and Felix had to fight the urge to pull it out hers. 

_ One mile to every inch of your skin like porcelain _

_ One pair of candy lips and your bubblegum tongue _

“It’s your first time, right?” Noelle whispered into his ear, breaking through the saccharine love song, and Felix’s head shot up from watching his feet. “You’re thinking too much.” 

“Hmmph.” Felix grunted back at her, turning back to his feet. 

“Okay, you keep doing your steps and keep your hand up,” she warned before dipping under his arm and spinning herself out to his left. 

Felix faltered for a second but caught on. The rest of the time, he just kept a hand up and she flitted around him, doing kicks and spins, singing along to the song. 

_ Your body is a wonderland - I’ll use my hands _

Suddenly she let go of his hand, only to slide it around his back and pull him close. “Keep stepping, I won’t hurt you.” 

They stepped together for a few beats before she swung in front of him again, back to the regular position. As the song ended, she looked at him with a hint of smile, and offered, “If you work on the smile, you might be a decent partner.”

Her eyes were big and brown, and they crinkled at the corners when she spoke. She waited expectantly, but Felix couldn’t think of anything. She walked away and Sylvain came crashing back. 

“So, everything you wanted and more? Thea and I were watching you and she was smiling about something…” 

“This was a waste,” Felix snapped back without his usual vitrol. Everyone was heading out anyways, with a drunk Leonie chasing after Rapheal calling something about learning a flip. Claude and Hilda were talking with Noelle, who was laughing and caught his eye. She gave a half wave before turning back and heading out, and  _ maybe it wasn’t a waste after all.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dance off inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O9uQ4abEPs
> 
> Songs referenced:   
> My Whole Life Long - Delta Rae - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpEgrS9rL_U
> 
> Your Body is a Wonderland - John Mayer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5EnGwXV_Pg


End file.
